Hurricane Sandy Exacts Toll on Printers As Well

Philadelphia-based Bartash didn’t suffer any technical or power issues, according to Eric Roberts, director of sales.

“We arranged for hotel rooms for employees and we ran this 24/7 business as best as we could,” Roberts said. “We produce publications throughout the East Coast and it was our customers that really had the bigger challenge, and hardest hit was the New Jersey coastline.

“Many of our coastal pubs had flooded production facilities. On this side of print manufacturing, we measure the deadlines in hours, not days. Every minute of press time was even more critical, because of many large publications juggling their schedule through a genuine crisis. We had a challenging week, but I will say that our preparedness was a comfort to our customers and to ourselves.”

Roberts added that while no printers contacted Bartash for assistance, a number of publishers reached out to them because their print providers were incapacitated.

Mimeo.com rerouted the work from its Newark, NJ, facility to its plant in Memphis, TN, notes Anthony Zaccone, marketing manager. The Newark branch resumed production on Wednesday.

On the manufacturing side, Agfa Graphics reported that all three of its East Coast facilities were unharmed. “Our plate manufacturing facility in Branchburg, NJ, did not experience any structural damage to the plant or its substations. We are working with JCP&L to restore electricity to this site and estimate it will come online shortly,” President Peter Wilkens said in an e-mail to customers.

Agfa’s Customer Care Center in Elmwood Park, NJ, is experiencing some system limitations, and calls are being rerouted to centers in Chicago and Los Angeles. Wilkens also noted that product delivery may experience a backlog but that Agfa is working to ensure goods are delivered in as timely a manner as possible.

Graphic Art System/Eagle Systems of Ocean, NJ, reported that while the Eagle factory escaped damage both inside and out, the community has not fared as well. “The area where our factory is located is looking like a war zone and is shut down by the authorities,” Mike King, company president, said in an e-mail to customers. “There is no power and we don’t expect power until sometime next week. Our employees have all reported in safe with their families and are also dealing with their own personal devastation as well.”